From falconer@cwis.unomaha.edu Mon May 12 09:13:00 1997 Subject: feminism and false consciousness To: matfem@csf.colorado.edu Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 10:12:56 -0500 (CDT) From: Karen Falconer Al-Hindi Hello everyone, I am searching for references concerning feminist researchers and interpretation of women's experiences, in which epistemological grounds are provided for understanding that women research participants may have different understandings of their lives than the explanations developed of those same lives by feminist researchers. I remember Sandra Harding having written about this, and I thought she put it very well at the time I read it, but now I can't find the passages in her work. I think others may have written on this topic, as well. Nonfeminist researchers have sometimes dismissed research participants' "mistaken" interpretations as false consciousness, but I believe feminist scholars have provided a more respectful interpretion that values the researched's understanding while recognizing that the researcher is also in a position to shed light on the situation under study. Any suggestions? References? Thanks, Karen Falconer Al-Hindi falconer@unomaha.edu From jayati.lal@nyu.edu Mon May 12 09:54:21 1997 for MatFem@csf.colorado.edu; Mon, 12 May 1997 11:54:15 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 11:54:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Jayati Lal Subject: Re: feminism and false consciousness To: MatFem@csf.colorado.edu > I am searching for references concerning >feminist researchers and interpretation of women's >experiences, in which epistemological grounds are >provided for understanding that women research >participants may have different understandings of >their lives than the explanations developed of >those same lives by feminist researchers. I >remember Sandra Harding having written about this, >and I thought she put it very well at the time >I read it, but now I can't find the passages in >her work. I think others may have written on this >topic, as well. Any suggestions? References? Thanks, Karen Falconer Al-Hindi falconer@unomaha.edu Karen: You might want to look at this article by Gorelick where she addresses this issue. Infact, a prepub version of the same article was titled "Giving Vocie Is not Enough" -- which was a better indication of issues that she deals with, I think. She examines the problematic notion in feminist methodological approaches that "giving voice" to research subjects is, in itself, an adequate modifier/displacement of subject-object power relations. Gorelick argues that the different structural locations of researcher and researched cannot (and, I would argue, *should* not) be so easily erased because of the differential structural locations, and hence too worldview, of each, where, for e.g. the researcher may have access to knowledge about "hidden structures" that research subjects --such as workers-- do not know of. I've found the article really useful to work through issues of power in my own research on women factory workers in India vis-a-vis my problems with "feminist methodologies". The article is: Sherry Gorelick. 1991. "Contradictions of Feminist Methodology." Gender and Society, vol. 5, no.4 (Dec.): 459-77. Hope this helps. Jayati. Jayati Lal Women's Studies Program 25 Waverly Place, Rm 802 New York University New York, NY 10003-4556 voice: 212-998-3813; fax: 212-995-4017 From mreeves@chass.utoronto.ca Mon May 12 14:34:03 1997 Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 16:25:34 -0400 From: Margaret Reeves To: MatFem@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Re: feminism and false consciousness Lorraine Code's work on women and knowledge would be a good place to start: _What Can She Know? Feminist Theory and the Construction of Knowledge_ Ithaca and London: Cornell UP, 1991. Margaret Reeves From atkinam@wfu.edu Tue May 13 15:30:41 1997 Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 17:30:17 -0400 To: MatFem@csf.colorado.edu From: "Andrea M. Atkin" Subject: Re: feminism and false consciousness At 10:12 AM 5/12/97 -0500, you wrote: >feminist researchers and interpretation of women's >experiences, in which epistemological grounds are >provided for understanding that women research >participants may have different understandings of >their lives than the explanations developed of >those same lives by feminist researchers. Karen -- I wonder if Belenky et al, Women's Ways of Knowing, would have anything on this. Andrea Andrea M. Atkin Dept. of English Wake Forest Univ. atkinam@wfu.edu From frigga@sirene.woman.de Wed May 14 14:31:06 1997 from haugf.woman.de (uucp@localhost) for MatFem@csf.colorado.edu id WAA07009; Wed, 14 May 1997 22:30:19 +0200 (MET DST) Date: 14 May 1997 22:02:00 +0200 From: frigga@sirene.woman.de (Frigga Haug) To: MatFem@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Re: feminism and false consciousness dear collegue I am just coming home from teaching in another town and find your question on women`s experiences. Though I hesitated some time because of female mdesty I think I should give you some of the titles of my publications on women`s experiences and memory work, which are somehow in the line of your questions: they are: Frigga Haug: Sexualization of the Body, Verso and Beyond Female Masochism also Verso these are books. After you skimmed them and found them useful I could also give you some titles os essays traslated into English, or should you happen to read German? yours Frigga Haug > Hello everyone, > > I am searching for references concerning > feminist researchers and interpretation of women's > experiences, in which epistemological grounds are > provided for understanding that women research > participants may have different understandings of > their lives than the explanations developed of > those same lives by feminist researchers. I > remember Sandra Harding having written about this, > and I thought she put it very well at the time > I read it, but now I can't find the passages in > her work. I think others may have written on this > topic, as well. > > Nonfeminist researchers have sometimes > dismissed research participants' "mistaken" > interpretations as false consciousness, but I > believe feminist scholars have provided a more > respectful interpretion that values the researched's > understanding while recognizing that the researcher > is also in a position to shed light on the > situation under study. > > Any suggestions? References? > > Thanks, > Karen Falconer Al-Hindi > falconer@unomaha.edu ----------------------------------------------------------- frigga@sirene.woman.de ----------------------------------------------------------- ## CrossPoint v3.11 R ## From tiny@xs4all.nl Tue May 27 05:29:05 1997 Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 12:33:09 +0100 To: matfem@csf.colorado.edu From: tiny@xs4all.nl (Martijn Beekers and Dominique) Subject: New Msc in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development International Msc in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development Wageningen Agricultural University is now accepting applicants for the first International Masters Degree Programme in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development (GARD) to be inaugurated in September 1998. This M.Sc. is the first in the world to focus on gender, rural change processes, the environment and sustainable agricultural development in developed and developing countries, providing students with conceptual and methodological approaches to research, policies, programmes and project formulation and implementation that permit these to become more gender sensitive. The programme is organized into three blocks. The first block consists of required courses in Gender Studies, Rural Sociology and Economics, where students are exposed to the principle theories, concepts, comparative empirical research, research methods and related debates in Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development. The second block consists of optional courses which permit students to pursue a specialization. The three possibilities are: * Gender, Environment and Natural Resources Management * Gender, Institutions and Development Interventions, or * An Independent Specialization. In the Independent Specialization, students can create their own area of special concentration, for example in rural marketing, employment, credit, extension, animal production, irrigation, land use, plant protection, etc. The third block consists of thesis preparation. With the support of special courses, workshops and supervision, students will design and carry out in their area of specialization a field research project usually conducted in the home country, which will culminate in the presentation of a Master's thesis. A social science background is not required, but students are expected to have a vivid interest in social questions and be committed to the subject matter. Applicants from both developed and developing countries worldwide are welcome. The Programme will prepare students for professional academic or development work as gender and agriculture/rural development specialists with a strong social science emphasis, able to professionally apply a gender perspective in their particular technical or social agriculture/rural development specialization. Graduates of Gender Studies in Agriculture at WAU currently hold positions in international organizations, government institutions, universities, research institutes, consultancy firms, and NGOs. Wolffensperger, Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development, Wageningen Agricultural University, De Leeuwenborch/Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands, Fax ++31-317-483990, Email Joan.Wolffensperger@alg.vsl. wau.nl or visit the WAU website at: http://www.wau.nl